Apparatus for thermal treatment of tissue

Abstract

An apparatus for thermal treatment of tissue comprises a compact manipulator ( 37 ) for positioning and orienting an energy radiator ( 50 ) for heat treatment of biological tissues. The energy radiator ( 50 ) is adapted to emit energy in the direction of a focal axis into a focal volume. The manipulator ( 37 ) can adjust the position and orientation of a suspension body ( 20 ) in a plane. The plane wherein the suspension body can be maneuvered is parallel to a support face of the apparatus. The energy radiator ( 50 ) is suspended from the suspension body ( 20 ). The energy radiator ( 50 ) can be manipulated with five independent degrees of freedom relative to said support face.

1 . An apparatus for thermal treatment of tissue, provided with a support face for supporting at least a portion of a patient's body and comprising:
 an energy radiator mounted to a holder, for directing energy along a focusing axis into a focal volume, and   a manipulator comprising:   a manipulator transmission unit including a suspension body,   a transmission driver unit mounted to the manipulator transmission unit, the transmission driver unit comprising at least one transmission driver and   the holder suspended from the suspension body, wherein the manipulator transmission unit is driveable by the transmission driver unit and the holder is driveable by the manipulator transmission unit, wherein the manipulator transmission unit has a first transmission subunit for translating and rotating the suspension body in a plane substantially parallel to the support face and has a second transmission subunit for moving the energy radiator along the focusing axis and for rotating the energy radiator around two distinct axes perpendicular to the focusing axis.   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the suspension body comprises distant portions and the first transmission subunit comprises moveably guided abutments and abutment guides, each of the distant portions being rotatably connected to at least one of the moveably guided abutments and each moveably guided abutment being guidably supported by at least one of the abutment guides. 
   
   
       3 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the first transmission subunit comprises at least one transmission body for cooperation with one of the moveably guided abutments and being coupled to a separate transmission driver of the transmission driver unit. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the distant portions each have a first axis of rotation with respect to the moveably guided abutment to which the respective distant portion is connected and wherein the transmission body cooperating with the respective moveably guided abutment comprises a first threaded portion, said portion having a first length axis, said first length axis intersecting with said first axis of rotation. 
   
   
       5 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein at least a part of at least one of the moveably guided abutments is elastically deformed to establish pretension between the moveably guided abutment and the first threaded portion comprised by the transmission body cooperating with the respective moveably guided abutment. 
   
   
       6 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the holder comprises three levers, moveably suspended from the suspension body. 
   
   
       7 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the second transmission subunit comprises three mechanisms, each mechanism cooperating with one of the three levers and each lever being moveably connected to one of the three mechanisms. 
   
   
       8 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the transmission driver unit comprises three further transmission drivers, each mechanism being coupled to one of the three further transmission drivers and each of the three further transmission drivers being coupled to one of the three mechanisms. 
   
   
       9 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein each mechanism comprises a connecting rod, a moveably guided body, a mechanism guide and a transmission element for cooperation with the moveably guided body, the transmission element being driveably connected to the transmission driver coupled to the respective mechanism, each connecting rod comprising a first and a second end portion, each first end portion being rotatably connected to one of the levers and each second end portion being rotatably connected to one of the moveably guided bodies, the respective moveably guided body being guidably supported by the mechanism guide. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein a portion of at least one of the levers is substantially compliant in a first direction and substantially stiff in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and wherein at least one of the other levers has a portion substantially stiff in the first direction and substantially compliant in the second direction. 
   
   
       11 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the transmission element cooperating with the moveably guided body comprises a second threaded portion for cooperation with the moveably guided body. 
   
   
       12 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the transmission element has an axis of rod rotation with respect to the moveably guided body and wherein the second threaded portion of the transmission element has a second length axis the axis of rod rotation intersecting with the second length axis. 
   
   
       13 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein at least part of each moveably guided body is elastically deformed to establish pretension between the moveably guided body and the second threaded portion comprised by the transmission element cooperating with the moveably guided body. 
   
   
       14 . The apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein each mechanism comprises at least one connecting rod providing portions symmetrically arranged around the moveably guided body to which the at least one connecting rod is moveably connected. 
   
   
       15 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of its components comprises a material, having magnetic properties that are suitable for use in equipment for magnetic resonance imaging. 
   
   
       16 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the abutment guides, the mechanism guides and the suspension body comprise ceramic material.